a proper book for learning Python

[tobben]

i am a completely utterly helpless noob, and this noob wants to get into programming and Python seems like a good place to start. Im wondering if there is any good physical books that can provide me with some solid reading and get me started?, either way no matter how i go about this it would be nice to have a copy of a proper book. From my viewpoint it's a good to have an actual book and flipping through pages rather than just sitting in my chair and browsing the web.

saw someone recommending "Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner" anyone who has any sort of experience with this?

[Worth]

I started programing with Python; it's a great beginner language. I do not know about a book though, given that I learned it in school.

[Darkfeign]

Check out the Programming Resources thread, or Learn Python The Hard Way (online).

[chromeboy42]

http://www.amazon.com/Hello-World-Computer-Programming-Beginners/dp/1933988495

Is very useful. It seems childish, but it actually teaches a lot.

After 2 weeks of reading causally, my IT teacher asked me if I would be a TA for next year. I just finished said year of being TA and it was fun!

 

Note though that this book is for Python 2.7 and not 3.3 (the newest version) I personally like 2.7 better (why did they mess up the print statement in 3.3?) but if you want to be cutting edge then try something else.

[chromeboy42]

or Learn Python The Hard Way (online).

If he wants to learn 3.3 then online is really the only way. I have yet to see a book that teaches 3.3

[tobben]

If he wants to learn 3.3 then online is really the only way. I have yet to see a book that teaches 3.3

not sure how recent version 3 is but that kinda sucks :/, but that makes alot of sense and was to be expected i guess. 

but i guess it's not extremely important wether i learn 2.7 or 3.3 as the differences arent immense? i should have a general grasp of the latter or previous version regardless of which one i familiarize myself with first?

[backslash]

It's not important whether you learn 2.7 or 3.3; I learned 2.7 and took a class that used 3.3, and it was fine. At one point we discussed whether it was 'better' to learn 2.7 or 3.3, and the professor said something like 95% of everyone still uses 2.7.

 

I'll second the recommendation of Lean Python the Hard Way. It's the best introduction to programming that I know of.

 

Learning a natural language (eg. Latin), there's an initial hurdle to understanding your first sentence. You don't know what the words mean, you don't know the rules for how they're put together, or why they say what they say, and so on. After you can do one sentence, though, you can start adding words or grammatical constructs one at a time.

 

A similar situation exists in programming: there's an initial hurdle to understanding your first program. You don't know what the words mean, you don't know the rules for how they're put together, or why they it does what it does. Reason I like Learn Python the Hard Way is that it does the best job of getting you over that initial hurdle.

 

Also, check out the Janki Method, which is the absolute best way to effectively remember what you've learned.

[Zonked]

Think Python

[Darkfeign]

I agree that learning that books won't cover the new versions, but most like Think Python and the Python reference books will cover the fundamentals of the language and also provide indications for when they use specific 2.* or 3.* language features.

 

It would always be better to learn Python 3.* over the older version, as it's bound to be discontinued sooner or later; always better to stay ahead of the curve.

[tobben]

thanks for all the suggestions guys, i guess il just try to get some basics down from "learn python the hard way" then maybe i can buy a more advanced book later on for reading purposes.

[Darkfeign]

thanks for all the suggestions guys, i guess il just try to get some basics down from "learn python the hard way" then maybe i can buy a more advanced book later on for reading purposes.

 

Glad we could help. Just let us know if you need any help.

[Maxibonbits]

http://ineasysteps.com/products-page/all_books/python-in-easy-steps/

 

This book was quite good, very simple instructions that are easy to follow if your new to programming.

 

If it was me though, I would just go to your local library and borrow out a heap of books on python if you wish to learn from books, you are more likely to find a book there then on a forum.

[ionbasa]

<p>Learning Python from O'Reilly Media.</p>

<p>Its not worth the $70 though. I just checked it out from the local county library.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>It is pretty in depth and straightforward. Personally if you are just begging it may be a little overkill if you don't have any knowledge of programming at all. But as long as you are familiar with some other language you should pick up quick, At least that was the way for me because I already know about C/C++.</p>